The Emperor's Pampered Wife

Good food is all the sweeter when shared with good company.

That's what Hou Wei Yan learned right now as their table was filled with food and laughter. 

"I'm telling you, Long Lee was a menace before," Jiang Guiren shared. He was her childhood friend and thus knows just how much mischief she caused back in their hometown. 

"She'd annoy one of our neighbors who likes to gossip about everything by placing fake newspapers on her door. She ended up getting dubbed as a source of fake news and her embarrassment led to her leaving town," 

 He Lan who likes such petty revenge laughed at this and applauded Long Lee. "I never thought you had it in you, Xiao Lee!" 

Although a bit embarrassed by this, Long Lee smiled, a bit proud of her previous actions. "She was bullying a child my age and kept telling her that her parents were divorcing and never truly loved her." 

"Oh, wow." Qiu Meixiu marveled as she ate the steak that was served earlier on. "I thought that was a bit extreme, but I guess she deserved it." 

"Children should not be hearing such words," Sheng Mingzhu muttered, her tone serious. "I would lose my composure if someone tells my children such things." 

"Right. Senior Sheng is already married and has kids," Yi Xiuying mumbled to herself before looking at Sheng Mingzhu in curiosity. "How many kids do you have again, Senior?" 

"Two adorable boys. They were born a year apart." 

"Wow. It must have been quite hard hustling both work and childrearing," Yu Lanfen said in awe. She had always dreamed of building her own family when she reached her planned age to settle. 

She had instances where she imagined how her life would be when she had a family. She adored children so their presence in her dreams gave her great comfort. However, having children would mean minimizing time at her work for them or completely cutting it off her life. 

Becoming a nurse has been her dream as well. So she needs to know how to do both at the same time without compromising the other. 

"It was hard at first since I suffered momentarily from postpartum," Sheng Mingzhu opened up. She was comfortable enough with them to open this up. 

"But my husband was there to support me. He allowed me to take some time off work and was there in every step of my recovery. He hired help for our family so I could have it easier. When I recovered and the children were old enough to be left in daycare, he accepted my proposal to return to work." 

"You're lucky to have such a husband, Senior." Yu Lanfen muttered, bitterness obvious in her voice. "Not everyone can get a supportive husband like that."

Sheng Mingzhu loves and adores her husband. His patience and care helped her through her toughest time. She is proud of his great temperament.

But by the sound of it, saying how proud she is of him sounds wrong. 

So instead, she offered her a reassuring smile."We didn't get married immediately. Only when I realized that he would be a good husband and father did I decide to settle down." 

"You could say luck played a part…but I also chose well," she added, remembering the arduous path it took for her family to become what it is right now.

Once she garnered their curious gazes, Sheng Mingzhu proceeded. "I may not look like it now, but I was quite a looker back then. There were a lot of choices and I chose him to be my partner after carefully evaluating his character." 

"What are you talking about? You're still stunning, Senior." Long Lee beamed. "You're beautiful inside and out." 

Sheng Mingzhu felt her heart swell at her compliment because she knew Long Lee was an innocent soul who gave only the most honest of reviews. "Thank you, Xiao Lee." 

"My only advice is to choose carefully," she stated, glancing at Yu Lanfen. "You'll be the one to evaluate if he's the right man for you. How he treats you and the rest of your family can be a good basis for finding your right man."

She wants to make sure she doesn't get discouraged when her love comes late so she added. "Don't be rash with your decision. Don't fall for what is shown on the outside. There are indeed some successes in abrupt marriages, but oftentimes than not, it doesn't end well. That's why you have to be patient and observant because the right time will come for you." 

As she continued with this, Ji Li Zhao couldn't help but glance at Hou Wei Yan who was silently listening to everything. Even the twins and Bei Changhai who should be attentive to this talk, all had their eyes and ears on Hou Wei Yan instead. 

[ What could she possibly be thinking with this talk? ]

The subject of their worry, however, didn't give that much care. [ Her talk is simply for those unmarried. I don't belong to that category. ]

[ Though, she has some points. ] she thought while chopping her steak and continuing to listen. Sheng Mingzhu indeed has some point, but somehow, what she's saying is something she cannot relate to. 

Her parents married because of her mother's affection for her father. She chose Hou Guanyu among the many suitors that surrounded her. And yet that ended in vain. 

They are now divorced and her father is staying with a woman he chose, who in the long run, is ugly on the inside. 

As for her, she was unable to choose. She wasn't allowed to. 

And yet she loves her husband who was chosen for her. Her husband is her everything now. The husband whom she doesn't want to part with. Her husband who is somewhere out there getting coped up with his work. 

"Be careful," someone suddenly whispered, breaking her train of thoughts that was drifting to vivid memories with her husband. 

Hou Wei Yan immediately glanced at Ji Li Zhao who was sitting beside her. "Let me help you," 

Before she could even process what was going on, Ji Li Zhao already took hold of her plate and slowly chopped up the steak for her. She looked lost so Bei Changhai filled in for her. "You nearly sliced your fingers, sister. Brother Zhao was just worried." 

Her hands are one of her assets. She cannot be the doctor that she is now without it. Luckily, Ji Li Zhao did not take his eyes off her knowing fully well she gets engrossed too much when it comes to certain gossip. Talks about marriage being one. 

"You ought to be careful," he muttered, handing her back her plate. 

"Thank you," 

Their interaction did not go unnoticed by the others even though Hou Wei Yan thought it was a minuscule interaction. The others already had smirks and suspicions in their eyes. All except for Long Lee. 

"Are you okay, Doctor Hou?" Long Lee asked in concern. 

Her innocent soul made Hou Wei Yan smile instinctively. "I'm fine. I just got distracted." 

"Can we see a picture of your boys, Senior?" Tian Bingwen asked, hoping to quench his curiosity. He had always adored children and even dreamed once of becoming a pediatric doctor. "Doctor He has been bragging about seeing your boys a couple of times and how adorable they are." 

All eyes turned to He Lan who was casually indulging the deserts prepared for them. Since she was too preoccupied with her food, He Zihao took it upon himself to answer their curious gazes. "She has too much time on her hands and chose to become their godmother." 

"She's that nosy," he added despite receiving an instant death glare from his sister. "In all actuality, she just wants to be a godmother because of that Cinderella fairytale. Which is ridiculous, 'cause a godmother is supposed to be a good role model…and she's obviously not." 

He Lan immediately stopped scooping more ice cream thanks to this provocative statement. Everyone on the table immediately gulped down, preparing themselves for another full-blown rap battle between the siblings. 

"Here you go!" Sheng Mingzhu immediately interjected, giving her phone to Tian Bingwen so they could focus on it. "Aren't they adorable?" 

Yi Xiuying who is closest to He Lan knew that if they don't diffuse the situation, this whole place will turn into a battlefield. So she laughed nervously. "Truly!" 

Tian Bingwen couldn't help but shake his head at her lousy acting. To help her out, he returned his gaze to the picture and was instantly captivated by the beautiful scenery in the backdrop. 

"What a beautiful sunset! Your boys look truly happy, Senior." 

Sheng Mingzhu smiled in delight. "We took that picture during one of our trips to Hawaii. It was a rare vacation." 

"Wow! They look like you, Senior Sheng!" Long Lee said in admiration. The two boys were hugging each other with huge smiles on their faces. "Very adorable! And they seem to be very close to each other." 

"They're only a year apart. They do sometimes quarrel, but most of the time, they're very affectionate. We treat them equally and make sure they respect one another. That must have added to the factor why they're that close." 

Hou Wei Yan peaked at the picture. Indeed, it was a beautiful picture for a smile blossomed on her face. "You raised them beautifully, Senior." 

Their innocent and genuine smile reminded her of her siblings, the children she adored the most. Now that she thought of it, it's been a while since she spent time with them and she misses them dearly. 

[ I should bring them here next time. ] she thought as she looked out on the brightly lit attractions that still run at night. This will be paradise for them. 

All the while Hou Wei Yan daydreamed about bringing her siblings, Ji Li Zhao was silently observing her. Zhou Jinhai who was doing the same can't help but frown when he noticed Ji Li Zhao's overwhelming presence. 

For the first time, he felt threatened. 

And when a wild animal feels threatened, they often fight back ferociously. 

"Wei Wei," he called out once dinner was over. Hou Wei Yan who was silently enjoying the breeze as the others volunteered to feed the hungry Xing Yun, just hummed in reply to acknowledge his presence. "Do you want to buy souvenirs for your siblings?" 

"Hmm? Maybe tomorrow. It's night already." she replied before she turned around to look at him. "I don't think there's any stores open now." 

"I heard there's a rare store just between the forest." 

As soon as she heard this, Hou Wei Yan's eyebrows immediately rose. [ Who would even believe that? ] 

Before she could even react or say anything, Bei Changhai interjected. "That sounds interesting. How rare is it?" 

Zhou Jinhai furrowed as soon as his annoyance came barging in once more. "Rare."

"Hmmmm." she hummed as she started to cling to Hou Wei Yan's arms and swinging it. "I can go with Big Sister. I'm a big collector of anything cute and pretty." 

Of course, that's not what Zhou Jinhai has planned. The way to the forest and silent and filled with flower lights that illuminate the pathway. It was a serene walk with a breathtaking view of nature at night. 

He wanted to show this to Hou Wei Yan and Hou Wei Yan alone. 

"We can just go tomorrow," she said as she looked at the intrigued youth still clinging to her arms. It seems like earlier she was just set on getting in between them, but now the look in her eyes says she's genuinely curious about this store. "It's already night and I don't think it's safe." 

"I'll accompany you so it's fine." Zhou Jinhai assured, now seeing that Hou Wei Yan could be convinced, even if it meant sharing this getaway with Bei Changhai. 

[ I can just get rid of her later. ] he thought as he offered a smile to the two women. 

"Fine. Let me just go and tell the others." Hou Wei Yan muttered, ready to head out and inform her cousins of this arrangement. 

"Our room is far. The forest is just nearby," Zhou Jinhai muttered once more, pointing towards the pathway towards the forest. 

She glanced towards it and saw that the pathway was indeed bright and security around the place was strict. Still, she wasn't fully convinced especially since she will be bringing Bei Changhai with her. She has her own chaperone and for sure, Ji Li Zhao would go berserk if he finds out they ventured in the night while bringing his little cousin. 

Zhou Jinhai saw the hesitation in her eyes. Fearing she would back out, he turned to Bei Changhai who was no longer interested in bickering with him as her gaze was fixated in the forest. "If we go now, we can come back before the clock could even hit 9." 

Wanting to buy something for her collection and scavenge for a gift for her boyfriend, Bei Changhai's excitement gauge went over the meter. She slowly tugged on Hou Wei Yan and walked towards the forest. "We won't stay out too long, Big Sister." 

With her body now dragged away, Hou Wei Yan could only sigh as she sent a text message to Xing Qiu, telling him where they were headed. [ I just have to keep watch. ]